Purchase experience with Barlow Equipment

[JOHNTHOMAS]

As for trades, I find it hard to imagine that you couldn't pretty much always do better selling it yourself. After all, any dealer has to mark it up, and runs the risk of taking in something with issues that they're going to be stuck with. I have never had trouble selling a clean used Kubota, even around here, which is not a farming environment, really.

I've traded in a lot of Kubotas to Barlows and sold a couple myself.
First, let's consider what a fair profit is on a used tractor valued at around $16000 that is clean, low hours and documented owner and service history. An easy quick sell for a dealer. $500? $600? $700 $800? $900? More?
If I sell that tractor for $16000 and then take my $16000 to Barlows to buy another tractor, I have to pay Ky sales tax of 6% on my purchase. That's $960 on a $16000 purchase. If I trade my tractor to Barlows and he gives me $15500 trade in for my $16000 tractor then I only pay 6% on the $500 difference for a dollar amount of $30.
Barlows can sell the tractor for $16000 pretty quickly and make $500 and I've saved $430 by trading vs selling it myself for the same $16000 that he sells it for while being able to offer Kubotas discounted interest rate for dealer sold used Kubota tractors.
Now if one has the agricultural exemptions, which I don't, this doesn't apply.
Some things seem so simple but some times there are extenuating circumstances or more to the issue than every one knows about.
PS Technically/legally I/you am supposed to collect state sales tax and send to my/your state dept of Revenue on your sale, sellers legal obligation. If you doubt, check with your state dept of Revenue.

 

[MattEffinCameron]

Just took delivery yesterday if my new (used) tractor from Barlow's. The entire experience was great! Brady was real patient with my hemming and hawwing and all my questions about random little minutia!

 

[varmint]

JohnThomas, you are perfectly right about the scenario you described... and avoiding the hassle of selling it yourself would be well worth $30, or even more. Unfortunately, I don't have a Steve Barlow locally, and our "local" Kubota dealers don't seem to be so generous on their trade values, hence my approach.
Incredibly, until they raised the sales tax a while back, in Maryland you would have to pay the whole purchase price, including the trade value, on an automobile, and I would guess a tractor, as well, which probably encouraged private sales.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

JohnThomas, you are perfectly right about the scenario you described... and avoiding the hassle of selling it yourself would be well worth $30, or even more. Unfortunately, I don't have a Steve Barlow locally, and our "local" Kubota dealers don't seem to be so generous on their trade values, hence my approach.
Incredibly, until they raised the sales tax a while back, in Maryland you would have to pay the whole purchase price, including the trade value, on an automobile, and I would guess a tractor, as well, which probably encouraged private sales.

Did have to pay tax on purchase price of NEW auto with no deduction in Ky until recently. I just got a new Subaru recently and only taxed on difference between trade and sale price was and am glad to see it. Used autos have always done tax on the difference only. Tractors have been that way for the 12 years that I've been buying trading them, tax only on difference. I also use my tractors and one F mower for business purposes at my rental property. Peoples circumstances are different and comfort zones so usually no absolute or mostly right or wrong ways without all the info. And I do appreciate having Barlows close until it comes to paying the state sales tax which I always pay, me not being agricultural. New purchase costs me additional 6% so trading saves me a lot of money with the trade in credit.

 

[varmint]

JohnThomas- here in MD, they wanted tax on selling price of new or used, without benefit of trade-in taken into account. Now, you pay tax only on the difference, which is much more tolerable. I too just bought a new Subaru... a Crosstrek, since the Foresters and Outbacks have gotten too big for my taste.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

JohnThomas- here in MD, they wanted tax on selling price of new or used, without benefit of trade-in taken into account. Now, you pay tax only on the difference, which is much more tolerable. I too just bought a new Subaru... a Crosstrek, since the Foresters and Outbacks have gotten too big for my taste.

Congrats on the Subaru. This is my 5th Subaru out of over 160 cars/trucks and the Subaru is one of the finest brands I've owned. They are great solid vehicles. Had a WRX a few years ago, it was awesome and in the top three fastest cars I've owned. :cool2:

 

[MaineTom]

I have to put another vote in for Barlow Equipment. Fantastic experience from the day I first requested a quote to the day it was delivered. They got hung up on the delivery date due to some unforeseen issues but Brady made it good by tossing in a 50hr filter kit and a nice Kubota summer cap! :thumbsup:
Marvin spent some time going over the machine but I actually knew all about it from reading on TBN and OCT. I showed him the 1/4 inching function and he was not aware of it! The only issue I had (but I was looking for it from reading here) was the BH didn't have enough grease on one fitting. Bought some moly and hit all the zerks...and all is good! I'm writing a thanks you letter to them now.

 

[Older Than Dirt]

Another positive vote for Barlow. There were some delivery delays, but I would definitely do business with them again.

 

[Shill15]

Another positive experience wth Tractor purchase from Barlows. From my first contact with Barlows to delivery Brady was great to deal with. I am located in the Northeast and saved a lot of $$$$. My local dealer who I purchased 6 Kubotas from wouldn't come close to what Brady offered me. I would definitely buy from Barlows again. I got a Kubota B2650 cab unit. Marvin who delivered my tractor kept me up dated on his progress when he was coming north and when he was about an hour away he let me know.

Thank you Brady I'll purchase from Barlows again.

 

[TimberXX]

Shill,

I lived in North Andover for a while (went to Merrimack), what a wonderful part of the state.

Did you check out MB Kubota in NH, or any other NH dealer?

I can't believe that Barlow's can beat a price from NH.

 

[MaineTom]

Shill,

I lived in North Andover for a while (went to Merrimack), what a wonderful part of the state.

Did you check out MB Kubota in NH, or any other NH dealer?

I can't believe that Barlow's can beat a price from NH.

I used to live in Exeter NH and I did get a quote from MB - Barlow still beat them!

 

[Shill15]

I used to live in Exeter NH and I did get a quote from MB - Barlow still beat them!

MaineTom;

I bought 6 tractors from MB in Plaistow and Barlow's beat them by $$$$.. Even with the shipping I could buy serveral attachments. MB only took a couple of $2000 of the list price but added it back on for assembly of the tractor and attachments. I emailed the salesman I dealt with over the years to see if he would negotiate with me, his reply good luck in the furture and thanks for your past buisness. I'll buy from Barlow's again..

 

[OneQuick68]

I live in GA. Bought my 3240 from Barlow's. I searched around for months looking at tractors. I read and researched allot of information on this site before contacting Brady, I received a very fair deal on my tractor.
I had a great buying experience. I would buy from Barlow's again.

 

[Rfisher7381]

West Michigan area. Purchased from Barlows late May. Good price. Happy with purchase and would buy from them again.

 

[dstig1]

I bought from Barlows 2+ yrs ago. Some parts went well. Some did not. Deal was good. Price was i think ~3k lower than i could get local on the L5240, even including shipping. But I had trouble after that. for one, i requested the rears filled with beet juice and set to the widest setting (hilly lot). They filled them but set at narrowest. So I had to fight 900 lb tires to move them out. Then after a couple months when i went to use the rear remotes, i found they had plumbed them all wrong (like kindergarten wrong - all over the map) and that was a mess. I had to spend hours doing that myself on a brand new tractor. Very wrong. They sent me a Shop manual as comp, which was decent, but time was more important to me at that point. I have also had idle surge issues that I have not had time to address. It bounces at idle a couple hundred RPM, which I do not think is normal. I bought this going into my house build which has been all consuming for the past 2 years, so I really have not have time to sit down and discuss this with their service folks. Maybe I would have been happier if I did, but that was not in the cards. Many people are happy with Barlows, and this is a moderate counterpoint to that. Tractor works, I fixed the major issues that they created by misassembly at delivery, but none of that screams "awesome". They really dropped the ball on putting together my unit, and I did not have the time to get them to sort it out. at the time with them, so it was a double whammy. But then you buy new so you don't have to deal with issues, right? Overall, I would give them a 5 or 6 out of 10. At most. John Thomas needs someone to balance him out

 

[mike69440]

MaineTom;

I bought 6 tractors from MB in Plaistow and Barlow's beat them by $$$$.. Even with the shipping I could buy serveral attachments. MB only took a couple of $2000 of the list price but added it back on for assembly of the tractor and attachments. I emailed the salesman I dealt with over the years to see if he would negotiate with me, his reply good luck in the furture and thanks for your past buisness. I'll buy from Barlow's again..

MB i Pastow folks seed nice when I lived in Derry.

I'm less than 4 Miles from the Tilton Store now.

Whats done is done, butI thnk I should have gotten a quote from Barlows on an Orange tractor before I jumped athe the Mihindra. Ithe MAx28 is a good value, just kind of crude in a few areas.

 

[ultrarunner]

Those buying and having shipped... did the shipping eat up most of the savings?

Just wondering how it could pencil out from Kentucky to California.

 

[MaineTom]

Those buying and having shipped... did the shipping eat up most of the savings?

Just wondering how it could pencil out from Kentucky to California.

The quote includes shipping and was still far below anything I could get anywhere else! Ask for a quote. :thumbsup:

 

[murphy1244]

Those buying and having shipped... did the shipping eat up most of the savings?

Just wondering how it could pencil out from Kentucky to California.

Make sure to add your sales tax as that was the only savings to ship to Ohio as his price was the same here.

 

[dstig1]

It was a substantial savings, net. You miss the sales tax, but add back a little for shipping, and then the actual quote was lower as well. It was worth a couple-few grand on my L5240 (I forget exactly). Of course, as I have ranted here previously, they screwed up a few things that I had to fix including not mounting the wheels at the widest setting, undertorquing one front wheel that came loose on me and totally screwing up the rear remote plumbing. Was it worth it? I suppose, but I was in quite a time crunch at that point and having to rework a brand new tractor did not make me happy, at all! They gave me a service manual for free as compensation for the mess, so they at least tried to do the right thing...but still these were dumb mistakes.